The moves to retain Melton and Payton mean that the Warriors will have 10 of the 12 players who had the most playing time last season back under contract for the 2026-27 season. Golden State went 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs after losing to Phoenix in a play-in game.
The 28-year-old Melton appeared in 49 games last season, averaging a career-high 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 23.0 minutes per contest. He missed the first 22 games of the season recovering from a left knee that sidelined him for all but six games in his first season with Golden State in 2024-25.
Melton has played in 405 career games over eight seasons with the Warriors, Phoenix, Memphis and Philadelphia.
The 33-year-old Payton played in a career-high 73 games last season, averaging 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He led the team in shooting at 58.3 per cent and has shot at least .560 from the floor in each of the last six seasons.
